Vegan Citrus and Soy Eggplant Burgers

Fact. I used to hate eggplant. I have spent a life time of weddings eating the vegan/vegetarian option, that is inevitably some type of mushy eggplant. Mushy eggplant Parmesan, mushy stuffed eggplant, mushy eggplant stew. So naturally, I thought for a long time, that eggplant was gross. These vegan citrus and soy eggplant burgers will renew your faith in eggplant. Marinated in citrus juice and soy sauce, then roasted and served on a bun with wasabi mayo! These eggplant burgers are a religious experience.

I wanted to take advantage of the fact that all the most amazing citrus is in season right now, but these eggplant burgers will be perfect all year long. I used a combination of blood oranges and grapefruit for my marinade, but you can use any kind of citrus you love! I just really like to use blood oranges when they are in season!

Next, let’s talk about my serving recommendations. WASABI MAYO. Yes, vegan wasabi mayo is delicious, and it complements these eggplant burgers perfectly! I whisked a little wasabi powder with some vegan mayo and rice wine vinegar. YES! Wasabi powder or wasabi should be fairly easy to find. I buy wasabi powder at my regular local grocery store all the time. It is nice to keep on hand for veggie sushi night!

I want to say something here. This eggplant is NOT mushy. It becomes almost meaty or Portobello like. Since you are marinating it in a pretty salty marinade, it draws out a lot of the liquid that would make it mush. Then roast at a high temperature for about 20-30 minutes. It becomes firm and perfect for a burger!

Vegan citrus and soy eggplant burgers with wasabi mayo are here to free you from the boredom of eggplant Parmesan or really any other veggie burger.

Eggplant marinated in citrus juices and soy, roasted to perfection and served with wasabi mayo!

Course:
Main Course

Author: Lauren Hartmann

Ingredients

1MediumEggplant

1tsp.Salt

1C.Mix of citrus juice, I used blood orange and grapefruit

1/2C.Soy sauce

3Tbsp.Rice wine vinegar

2Tbsp.Brown sugar or coconut sugar

2ClovesGarlic, chopped

1tsp.Ginger, grated

Wasabi Mayo

1/2C.Vegan mayo

1/2tsp.Wasabi powder or wasabi

1tsp.Rice wine vinegar

For Serving

Vegan hamburger buns

Arugula

Pickled veggies

Instructions

First, slice the eggplant, pretty thin, about 1/2-1/4 inch thick. Now lay on a paper towel or plate and sprinkle with the salt. Let sit for a minute while you mix the marinade.

In a large bowl or plastic container, make the marinade. Mix the citrus juices you are using. (I used fresh juices and squeezed them into a measuring cup), soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sugar, garlic and ginger. Whisk to combine.

Now add the eggplant slices to the marinade. Stir to make sure all of the eggplant is in the marinade. Try to push all the slices into the liquid to ensure the eggplant absorbs the marinade.

Marinate for at least 3 hours, the longer the better, and I like to marinate the eggplant overnight. Stir the eggplant every once in a while so that it evenly absorbs the marinade.

Once you are ready to make the burgers, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non stick spray, then remove the slices of eggplant from the marinade and place on the baking sheet.

Now roast the eggplant in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the eggplant is getting brown and firm. Then flip the eggplant and roast for another 10-15 minutes until the eggplant is completely brown and very firm.

While the eggplant is baking, you can make the wasabi mayo if you are using it. Just whisk together the mayo, wasabi powder and rice wine vinegar in a small mixing bowl.

Once the eggplant is done, put the wasabi mayo on a bun, then one or two slices of eggplant, then arugula and pickled veggies, then more mayo on the other bun, and place on top. Then you will definitely want to start eating!

Recipe Notes

You can use whatever citrus juice you want, I just recommend at least one sweet and one tart.

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